TECH NEWS – The Asus ROG NUC will be more muscular than Intel’s previous mini-PCs, but you’ll have to pay a lot more for better performance (because more powerful components are more expensive in mini-format).

Back at CES, Asus unveiled the first ROG-branded NUC. A European retailer, Proshop, has already priced the device for pre-orders, and we’re not kidding when we write this down, but you’ll have to pay a lot for it, as it costs €2500. It’s powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor (get ready for Intel to use the same weird names for desktop processors in the future!), 2x16GB of DDR5 memory and graphics by a laptop RTX 4070 chip. There’s a 1TB SSD for storage, and the site says this PC will be available from April 10. It can support up to 64GB of RAM, three PCIe Gen 4 SSDs, and comes with WiFi 6E, 2.5GB LAN, and Thunderbolt 4/USB 4.

According to the Asus product page, there will also be a lower-end version with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor and an RTX 4060 graphics chip. (The laptop version is understandable, as it has lower power consumption.) This will be the first Asus NUC mini-PC, as Intel has essentially leased the mini-PC business to Asus, which will sell and support 10th and 13th generation NUC products, and has a license to design systems like the ROG NUC, though not under an exclusive agreement.

Asus owns several brands, so it would not be surprising to see lower-priced models with less storage and a weaker processor (or even APU, i.e. integrated graphics) launched under the Strix or TUF brands. Business and office devices could also be covered by the Zen or Vivo brands, and these would obviously not be aimed at outstanding video gaming performance, but at quiet operation, low power consumption and efficient operation.

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